In lieu of this summer's Olympics, today's New York Times has an article on the difference between olympians and your average jogger. Kind of interesting...
Researchers say elite distance runners share several inborn physiological traits, including large hearts, an efficient way of moving and an ability to keep running when they are exerting so much effort that they are panting for breath, that make them faster than most recreational runners...
With elite runners, the question is not so much technique but rather the tiny physiological differences that make one smooth, relaxed, fast runner win every race while another, who looks equally good, falls behind.
Exercise physiologists say there are three components to great running: A high VO2 max, the volume of oxygen an athlete can consume at maximum exertion; great running efficiency, a measurement of the energy used to run at a particular pace; and an ability to keep going at a high level of exertion for a long time, expressed as the percentage of VO2 max that can be sustained during a run.
Athletes with a high VO2 max can pump large volumes of blood to their muscles, usually because they have large and powerful hearts, said Dr. Paul Ribisl, an exercise physiologist and a runner at Wake Forest University. The heart of an average adult pumps about 15 liters a minute. The heart of an elite distance runner typically pumps at least twice that amount.
VO2 max increases with training, as a person goes from physically unfit to physically fit. But, physiologists say, even when elite runners are out of training - when they have not run for months or longer - they have a VO2 max substantially higher than that of a recreational runner.
Posted by monica at August 9, 2004 09:31 PM
